Just Another Job
by Charioteer
Summary: It was just another job. At least, that's what it was supposed to be. Get in, set the bomb, and get out. Simple, right? As if anything in Midgar is ever simple…
1. Timebomb

I started writing this story a while ago, but 10 chapters in, I realized that not only was I not sure about where the story was going, I wasn't even sure who the character was. I've gone over the ten chapters and done a lot of rewriting. Now that I know who the character is and more or less where the story is going, I am finally ready to repost and continue with this, one of my first and one of my favorite stories. Enjoy.

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It was just another job. At least, that's what it was supposed to be. Get in, set the bomb, and get out. Simple, right? As if anything in Midgar is ever simple…

When the train arrived at the station, a couple of the guys I was helping jumped off the roof and took down the guards. One of them was Biggs, a man with short, black hair and a red headband. The other was Jessie, a woman whose hair was more of a goldenrod color. After they took out the guards, Wedge, a man I thought looked sort of like a beach ball and a much larger man with a gun on his arm leapt from the train. The only ones left on the roof were me and another mercenary.

The man with the gun-arm, who was named Barret, turned to us. "C'mon newcomers. Follow me."

Then he ran off and the other merc and I jumped off the train. We started to follow Barret when a couple Shinra MPs showed up. The merc and I looked at each other and nodded. The guards hit the ground in a matter of seconds.

We caught up with everyone else. The black haired one, Biggs, turned to the other merc. "Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER all right! …Not everyday ya find one in a group like AVALANCHE."

I had heard about SOLDIER a couple of times before. Something about using mako to enhance those who were already considered the best. It seemed a little strange to me. As for AVALANCHE, all I really knew was that they were supposedly a terrorist organization out to kill as many innocent people as they possibly could. AVALANCHE, however, claimed that they were just trying to protect the planet. Honestly, I didn't care either way, as long as I got paid.

I left my musings just in time to hear the former SOLDIER's name: Cloud. I took a moment to examine Cloud more closely. His hair was blonde and it spiked almost unnaturally. I thought that maybe if I shot him out of a cannon, I could use those spikes to impale an MP or two. His eyes had a faint glow, further confirmation that he did, in fact, have some connection with SOLDIER.

Barret showed up and started chewing everyone out for being in one group. Evidently the AVALANCHE policy is to be split up all the time. Not a very effective strategy, if you ask me. Sure, you could all be caught at once, but it also makes you harder to take down.

I followed Barret into the reactor and he asked Cloud and I if it was our first time in a reactor. Cloud shook his head, but I barely noticed. There was something about the reactor's interior that seemed familiar, even though I'd never been inside one before. I was brought back to Gaia when Barret began shouting at Cloud.

After Biggs and Jessie got us through a couple of locked doors and down an elevator, where Barret started preaching about the planet, we finally got to the core. It was there that we needed to place the bomb. Cloud was about to set it when something, I'm not sure what, happened to him. It passed after a few moments and Cloud set the bomb.

That was the first clue that something was amiss. If I was smart, I would've gotten out then and there. But even if I ran, I wouldn't have gotten far. By the time we were ready to leave, there was a Guard Scorpion right on top of us. Between Cloud's buster sword, Barret's mini-gun, and my katanas, the bright red scorpion robot thing didn't stand a chance. Who designs a security robot in the shape of a scorpion anyway? And who bothers to paint said scorpion shaped security robot bright red?

But that's beside the point. We only had ten minutes to haul our asses out of there. We barely made it, and Cloud had to help Jessie twice. I thought that if they were going to try something like this again, they should probably leave Jessie behind. You know, in case she falls off a ledge or something. Considering the height we were at, it would be a miracle if anyone survived a fall like that.


	2. Crossdressing Mercenaries

I fell asleep on the train ride back to the slums in Sector 7. I woke up to Barret yelling something about the planet again. I really wasn't paying that much attention.

After we all got off the train and back to the bar that served as AVALANCHE's "hideout", I got a much deserved drink. Just as I was about to order another round, the owner of the establishment caught sight of Cloud and ran over to him. I watched them talking for a little while.

The owner, Tifa, was by all accounts attractive, but I would need to be a lot drunker to try and hit on her. Despite her slim frame, she was one hell of a fighter. What I could never figure out was how she managed to move with such grace when, well, let's just say I would be amazed if she didn't have back problems. Besides, she was too old for me anyway. Cloud gave her a flower and she got really excited, saying something about decorating the bar with them. I couldn't help but wonder how the hell Cloud had found a flower in Midgar.

I was about to get my second drink when Barret barged in and called everyone to the secret floor beneath the bar. The only way in or out of said secret floor appeared to be a pinball machine. Cloud sat next to me at the bar and we both got something to drink. After talking with Tifa a bit, Cloud went downstairs via the pinball machine. After he was gone, I asked Tifa when I could expect to get paid. She asked me if I was going to stick around for the next job, but I had to refuse. "I don't like being tied down to one particular group," I explained.

She sighed and got my pay out from behind the counter. I looked down at the 1500 gil and chuckled. "I've never worked for so little," I said shaking my head. I collected my earnings and left.

I decided to head towards Sector 6. I knew a good inn there and there was always the possibility of more work. The next day, I stepped out into Wall Market and looked around.

Wall Market was never my favorite place overall. I had seen what kind of dangers lurked in the shadows and it made me sick. The main form of entertainment was the Honey Bee Inn. A brothel by another name would smell just as rancid. And then there was the Don. Don Corneo was the slimiest excuse for a human being I had ever heard of. Thank God I've never had to work for him.

On my way to the weapon store, I ran into two young women wearing what I had to admit were beautiful dresses. The one in red had long brown hair and a kind smile. The other wore purple. She had blonde hair with pigtails and the moment she saw me, she looked away. The woman in red greeted me warmly. I asked where they were headed and she said told me they were going to Don Corneo's mansion. I tried to warn them about what kind of things go on up there, but she told me not to worry about them.

There was no way I was going to let them go up there alone, so I followed them up to the mansion. I watched them go in, but the door closed again before I could reach it. I demanded to be let in. Unfortunately, the man at the door was about as stubborn as me. Then I had an idea. "Fine," I said, "I suppose you'll explain to Corneo why he never received his package?"

"What package?" asked the doorman.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be able to tell you. And before you ask, it must be delivered to Corneo directly."

It's amazing just how thick people can be. The doors opened and I calmly stepped inside. The doors closed behind me and I began to examine my surroundings. Since nobody was there, I ran up the stairs to try and find the two women. The first two doors I came to were locked, but the third was wide open. I headed past the doorway and down a large flight of stairs.

The first thing I noticed was Tifa wearing a blue dress. With her were the two women I followed into the mansion. Tifa was looking hard at the woman in purple when she suddenly jumped about ten feet in the air.

"Cloud!"

I didn't know why Cloud was wearing a dress, and honestly, I didn't care. I left quietly. Not that I don't enjoy hanging out with cross-dressing mercenaries in the mansion of a lecherous, old man, but if I wanted to keep eating, I would have to get paid, and if I wanted to get paid, I'd need to find a job.


	3. What Is Your Name?

I started heading for Sector 5. I thought maybe I could get away from those weirdoes there. I stopped to rest a bit at an old playground just outside of Sector 7. I looked at what remained of my pay from the mission at the mako reactor and sighed. If things kept on as they were, I would end up broke. I needed another job, a big one. I pulled out my phone and was just about to call one of my contacts in Shinra to see if there was anything they needed done when I saw a young woman with long brown hair run by.

It was the woman from Wall Market, only this time she was wearing a much more modest pink dress. She was leading a little girl out of Sector 7 and toward Sector 5. She was in such a hurry that she didn't even see me. I asked her what they were running from, but she was already almost out of sight. All I could make out was "plate".

I ran after her and the little girl. They were headed straight into a veritable minefield of dangerous creatures. I shouldn't have worried, though. By the time I caught up with them, they were almost through and the woman had kept the creatures at bay quite effectively.

"You really like following me, don't you?" she asked, still leading the child who knows where.

"Well, I still don't know your name, do I?" I replied, easily keeping up with her.

"It's Aerith. What about you? What's your name?"

"Turk!" I shouted, seeing the black haired man just around the corner. He was very well dressed and was watching us intently.

I never liked the Turks. They were not only tough and well trained, but they were known to do just about anything they were ordered to. From recruiting potential SOLDIERs to kidnapping to torture. They were the black ops arm of Shinra, and seeing one was almost never a good sign.

This was no exception. We tried to lose the Turk, but when we got to Aerith's home, he was already there waiting for us. Then Aerith actually offered herself to the Turk. She told him that as long as he didn't do anything to her mother or Marlene, the little girl she dragged all the way here, she would go with him without a fight.

Of course it couldn't be that easy. The Turk said he wanted me too. I had no idea what the Shinra wanted with me, but if I refused he might have hurt someone. I could live with Aerith's mother's death, but there was no way I was going to have the blood of a child on my hands.

The helicopter ride was so boring I fell asleep. I woke up to the sound of gunfire. Looking to my left, I saw the Turk talking to someone. It looked like he was using Aerith as a human shield. Crude, but effective. The next thing I knew, the entire place was coming down. Shinra had dropped the upper Sector 7 onto the lower Sector 7. I couldn't think for the life of my why they would do that. On the way to Shinra headquarters, I asked the Turk we were riding with, but he didn't say a word.

When we got to Shinra headquarters, Aerith and I were separated. I was put into a big, glass tube that felt oddly familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. Then _he_ came. I had no idea who he was, but deep down, I felt a hatred greater than anything I had ever felt before. Even thought I was trapped, I still tried to wrap my hands around his throat. The result being me slamming into the glass full force.

"So you do remember me," remarked the man. He wore round glasses and had long, black hair that he wore in a ponytail. His back was slightly hunched and he stared at me with eyes unblinking.

"Nope," I answered simply. He looked rather puzzled. "I have absolutely no idea who you are or why I have the urge to kill you."

"Perhaps I should remind you just who you are."

"I know who I am. I'm…"

"Professor!" shouted one of the man's assistants.

"What is it?" demanded the vile man before me. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I'm sorry, professor, but the President requests your presence immediately concerning the Cetra."

The scientist sighed and walked away. Just before he left, he turned to me and said that he would be back soon to check on me. I couldn't believe what was going on. He was treating me like a research specimen.

I could swear that I had seen that man somewhere before. I sat against the side of the tube and tried to remember. It was hard. I caught snippets here and there. Something about a glass tube, experiments, and a name: Hojo. The moment I remembered Hojo's name, everything went black.

When I came to, I was standing on a mountain of bodies surrounded by a sea of blood, my twin katanas in hand.

The blades of my katanas were emerald green and never dulled. No amount of blood ever clung to their blades. The result being that they were always immaculate.

I saw a group of people heading down the elevator and realized that I was on the ground floor. Barret, Aerith, and some red wolf-lion thing came out of the elevator. They stopped when they saw me.

I looked at the carnage around me, then back at them, simply shrugging. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

Before anyone could answer, Tifa came out of another elevator and told everyone to follow her. I just shrugged and fell in line. Something happened to me and I figured that I had a better chance of finding out what with these guys helping me than on my own. _Besides_ I thought, watching Cloud ride a motorcycle down the stairs, _it's never a dull moment with these guys._


	4. Serpents and Thieves

I have to hand it to Tifa. She sure knows how to drive fast. Maybe not well, but fast. I'm glad there wasn't any traffic. Sure there were a bunch of guys on motorcycles, but Cloud took care of them no problem. After we drove all the way to the edge of Midgar, and finished off the last of the goons Shinra had sent after us, we all gathered around the end of the road.

Everyone decided that they would leave Midgar and go after Sephiroth. Well, I think the red wolf-lion thing, who was apparently called Red XIII, just wanted to go home, but home wasn't Midgar, so he was going to tag along until he got to his hometown. I decided to tag along too. Not much else to do.

When our feet were solidly on the ground again, we tried to organize. Barret started talking about how we needed a leader, but I don't think he was expecting Aerith to nominate Cloud for the position. I, of course, couldn't have cared less about who was in charge. We decided to split up and head for the nearby town of Kalm.

Cloud took Barret and Tifa with him. So Aerith, Red XIII, and I headed to Kalm on our own. I started thinking about Red XIII's name. It sounded more like a label that Hojo would have given to him than a proper name. The thought of Hojo sent a wave of inexplicable fury through me and I felt a white hot pain in my shoulder.

Aerith asked me if I was alright, and I realized that I was kneeling on the ground, grasping my shoulder. The pain disappeared as quickly as it had started. "I'm fine," I told her.

When we reached Kalm, everyone met at the inn and Cloud told us what he knew about Sephiroth. From the sound of things, Cloud had probably hit his head at some point. His recollection seemed a little jumbled and his story didn't have any sort of end. What I was able to take away was that Sephiroth was insane, that he had destroyed Nibelheim, that he was an Ancient, and that I was right about Tifa having back problems.

After the story was over, it was time for us to move on. We headed east, then south, and eventually back west. There we saw a vast marsh. I was just going to go right across it, but the marsh was home to the Midgar Zolom. Essentially just a humungous snake. But I wasn't really in the mood to take on a humungous snake, so we opted for catching chocobos. Cloud and I both caught one and we set off across the marsh, trying to outrun the Midgar Zolom.

Too bad I caught a crappy chocobo. The damn bird slowed down right as the Midgar Zolom was starting to catch up on us. I figured it just couldn't take the weight, so I jumped off and gave the chocobo a solid slap on its rear to get it moving. It worked. By the time Aerith had realized what was going on, she and Red XIII were already too far away to do anything about it.

Now I just had to find a way to kill a snake the size of a building. I unsheathed my katanas and let loose. I managed to get one of my swords stuck in the snake's hide before its lashing threw me off, my other sword landing several feet away from me. I was out of options, so I decided to use my materia. I had had my materia for as long as I could remember. I never did get around to figuring out what it did. It was green, so I guessed that it probably cast a spell, and as long as it wasn't restorative, it would probably help.

Before I could use it, though, the Zolom lurched at me. Next thing I knew, I felt a white hot pain in my shoulder and I was lying in a forest. "Awake at last, I see."

I sat up and looked around. Next to me was a girl probably a couple years younger than me. She had short brown hair and dark eyes. Her clothes, what little of them there were, were definitely unlike anything I'd seen before. All in all, just another weirdo to add to list. "You alright, buddy?" she asked.

"Fine," I said, getting to my feet. "Do you know what happened?"

"I found you stuck in a tree."

"What was I doing in a tree?"

"I don't know. It looked like you fell. I got you down and healed your wounds."

"I was wounded? Oh, right. The Zolom."

The girl looked surprised. "Wait, you mean the Midgar Zolom?" I nodded. "That thing's all the way in the marshes on the other side of the mountain range. If you were fighting that thing, then how'd you get all the way over here?"

"I don't remember."

"Oh. Well, you seem alright now, so see ya!"

"Wait! Have you seen a guy with spiky blonde hair? Or maybe a woman in a pink dress?"

"Sorry. No."

"What about a man in a black cape?"

"Oh, sure. I saw him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I saw him from the edge of the forest. He was heading west, towards Junon."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

I headed west for Junon. It didn't take me long to realize something was wrong. I ran into a couple monsters in the forest, and when I reached for my swords, they weren't there. I must've left them back at the marsh. I went to pull out my materia, hoping it didn't heal them or burn down the whole forest, but I couldn't find it. Had I left that at the marsh, too? No, I hadn't even taken it out. Where it was didn't really matter at the moment, I just needed some way to defend myself.

Failing that, I ran like hell. When I got to Junon, I checked myself over and realized that not only was my materia missing, but so were my items and my gil. Then I remembered the forest girl. She must have robbed me while I was unconscious. I was trying to figure out what to do when Cloud and the others showed up. Except there weren't five people arriving at Junon, well, four people and a wolf-lion thing, there were six.

I hid behind a small house and waited for them to walk past. The moment the forest girl was past me, I ran out, grabbed her, and slammed her into the wall of the house. I watched her face go from surprise, to confusion, to recognition, and then to fear as she realized just why it was I was pinning her to the wall. "Uh…Sorry?"


	5. Now We're Even

It was surprising how easy it was to get back my gil. My items, on the other hand, were not so easy. Somehow, in between the time I met her and her arrival at Junon, she had managed to sell all of my items. After some considerable cajoling, I got her to give me the gil she got from selling them. Then all that was left was the materia. She seemed okay with giving it back, but when she was actually handing it over, I had to pry her fingers off of it.

Unfortunately, she did not have my katanas. I walked into the weapon shop to see if I could find something. I seriously doubted that I would be able to find katanas in a rundown place like Junon. And yet, somehow, resting in a glass case, were my emerald katanas.

"Anything I can get for you?" asked the shop owner. When I didn't answer, he followed my gaze. "Ah, lovely aren't they? I just got them today."

"Who sold them to you?" I asked, not taking my eyes off them.

"No one. I found them lying on my porch a few hours ago. Why do you ask?"

"They're mine."

The shop owner grinned. "Well, I'm glad you like them. I can give them to you for, say, 5,000 gil."

I glared at the shop owner. "I don't think you understand. Those are my swords."

The shop owner's grin disappeared in an instant. "Not until you buy them, they're not."

I was about to bash the man's face in when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see the forest girl standing next to me. "Now, now. There's no need to get unpleasant. Why don't you go look at some of the other swords. I'm sure you'll find something you like." She winked at me and, against my better judgment, I complied.

I let the shop owner show me a variety of different weapons, all of which were vastly inferior to my own. Eventually, the forest girl said that it was time to go and dragged me out of the shop before I could protest. When we got a little ways from the shop, she let me go and grinned at me. "Why are you so happy?" I asked. My answer came in the form of a profanity being shouted by the owner of the weapon shop. The forest girl removed the pair of emerald swords she had liberated from her pack and handed them to me.

"Now you owe me," she said.

I shook my head. "Now we're even."


	6. Conspicuous Finishing Move

While I was getting my swords back, Cloud was busy fighting giant sea creatures and giving mouth to mouth to little girls. Afterward, everyone was brainstorming on how we would get to the upper levels of Junon. I had a contact in Shinra that I knew could help us out, but I didn't really want to risk losing such a valuable resource over something as trivial as getting on an elevator. Still, as things stood, we weren't going anywhere. I was about to suggest using my contact when someone else thought of something much better and much more entertaining to boot: Cloud climbing a high voltage tower.

Of course since Cloud made it to the top, we all had to follow. Before long, it was my turn to get thrown fifty feet in the air by a dolphin and land on a steel beam no more than twelve inches wide. Fun, fun.

After we got to the top of the tower, we had to find something to use as a disguise. Luckily, we stumbled upon a locker room full of uniforms. I wore the uniform of an infantryman, along with Aerith, Tifa, and Red XIII. Barret and the thief both wore sailor outfits.

We just managed to get onto the cargo ship headed for the western continent before Rufus' welcoming committee showed up. Even though he was in disguise, I could tell the infantryman on the left was Cloud. Even if I didn't recognize him, I would still have known that at least one of them was him the moment they did their finishing pose.

As we sailed across the ocean, I couldn't sit still. I spoke with everyone I was traveling with. When I started talking to the thief, I realized she probably wouldn't be able to say anything back. She had severe motion sickness. I gave her a tranquilizer to help, but she still wasn't in the mood to talk. The only thing I could get out of her was her name: Yuffie.

I was about to go see what Cloud was up to when an alert was sounded throughout the ship. It sounded like we were busted. I helped Yuffie upstairs and unto the deck, seeing as she could barely stand at the time. When we got to the deck, we saw that everyone was there. That's when it hit us, it wasn't us that was found on the ship, it was Sephiroth.

Cloud took Barret and Red XIII below decks to confront him while the rest of us found somewhere in the ship to hide. I got stuck looking after Yuffie. We were sitting behind a bunch of boxes in the cargo hold. I knew she wasn't in the mood to talk, but I couldn't help but ask her something. "Why did you pick a sailor outfit if you get motion sick?" She looked over at me queasily and her answer came in the form of vomit on my Shinra uniform.

I was very happy when we arrived at port. I threw the defiled uniform into the ocean and, after some discussion with the rest of the group, headed for the inn. I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up, I saw Yuffie in the bed next to mine, laying much the same way I was: fully clothed and above the covers. She must have been as tired as me. I sat up and looked at her. Something about her puzzled me. Even though she stole everything I had save the clothes on my back, almost getting me killed in the process, I didn't resent her for it. In fact, looking back on it, I almost chuckled. "You know, that's kinda creepy."

I nearly fell off the bed. She sat up and looked at me suspiciously. "Seriously, why are you watching me like that?"

I was a little taken aback. I could've sworn she was asleep. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"You weren't supposed to." She looked at me for a little, then shrugged and got out of bed. "Oh, well. I guess I can't blame you for staring. After all, it's not every day you see a girl like me."

"Depending on how this journey of ours ends, I may see you every day until I die."

She looked almost sad at these words. She looked down at her feet. "Hey, listen. There's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"If you die…"

"Yuffie," I said, getting up, "I'm not going to die."

"Yeah, but if you do…can I have your materia?"


	7. Which Button Brings Up the Map Again?

We were gathered around the inn at Costa del Sol and Cloud was deciding groups. We had figured that we would be noticed too easily if we were in groups any bigger than three, but that it would be too dangerous to wander around alone, so the groups would be three, two, and two. Cloud chose Tifa and Aerith to go with him. Then he assigned Barret and Red XIII to another group. That meant that I was stuck with Yuffie.

After what happened that morning, I thought that this was a really bad idea. I'm not entirely sure what the hell was going through Cloud's mind, but when he noticed me glaring at him, he smirked and walked away, Tifa and Aerith following close behind. Barret and Red XIII left right after them. Then it was just me and Yuffie walking across an empty field on the way to our next destination. I didn't actually know where we were going, so I asked Yuffie.

Yuffie stopped walking and looked at me with a horrified expression. "I don't know. I was following you." I looked around. I not only didn't know where we were going, I didn't even know where we were.

After wandering around for what seemed like half the day, we finally came across a mountain pass that looked promising. We followed the path as it led to a railroad track, which we also followed. As we were walking along the track, Yuffie looked over at me. "So how did you end up following Cloud and those guys?"

I just shrugged. "I was bored."

"That's it? Just bored?"

"Well, that and I ran into them completely on accident…four times." She raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I could have just gone and got another job, but I didn't. Hell, I might've ended up hunting them down."

"For who?"

"Shinra."

She whipped out her shuriken. "You work for Shinra?"

"No, I'm a mercenary. I work for whoever can pay. I'm just saying that since I have contacts in Shinra, I could have gotten hired by them."

Yuffie thought about it for a bit. "So you're not working for Shinra now, but you might in the future?"

"Right."

Yuffie put away her shuriken, but she still looked upset. "Alright, just remember: If you ever help Shinra, our friendship is over."

I watched as she walked away down the railroad track and thought, _What friendship?_

After a while, we reached a small, shabby looking village. It looked as though it had seen some very tough times. The effect was increased by the nearby tram station which appeared to be very well maintained.

Outside the tram were Cloud and the others, just getting on. We ran and just barely got inside before the doors closed and the tram left the station. I saw Cloud chuckling and gave him a dirty look. "You're late," he said with a smirk.

"It's her fault," I explained, jabbing my thumb at Yuffie.

"It was not!" Yuffie retorted. "You should have been paying more attention!"

"Now, now, children," teased Aerith, "behave." This earned her dirty looks from both me and Yuffie. Yuffie and I spent the entire ride on opposite sides of the tram looking out the windows. I heard Aerith whisper something to Cloud, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. I didn't really care, though. By that time, we were almost to our destination, which just happened to be the Gold Saucer.

I had absolutely no idea why we were at an amusement park at a time like this. I asked Cloud why we were there, but he just said that we were looking for Sephiroth. I tried to think of some reason Sephiroth would be at an amusement park, but nothing came to mind.

It cost an absurd 30,000 gil to get in. Once we were inside, I picked a random opening and left the rest of the group behind. And just for good measure, I took a couple more passageways at random. I didn't care where I was, just as long as it was away from Yuffie. I ended up playing chess with a ghost at the hotel. I played the black pieces. After a crushing defeat at the hands of my spectral opponent, I got up to find something else to do.

As I entered the graveyard that served as a passageway to the other areas of the Gold Saucer, I saw none other than Yuffie pop out of the grave marked "Events". She mentioned something about Cloud and Aerith being thrown in jail and said that she was going to check out the hotel. I grabbed her arm and dragged her back the way she came.


	8. Where Does He Get These People?

After we got to the desert prison at the base of the Gold Saucer, I found myself being bombarded by Yuffie's insults. I could understand why she was upset. No one knew either of us were involved with Cloud and the others, so there was no reason for us to get tangled in whatever mess they were in. But knowing Cloud, he'd get out somehow, and then I'd have to explain why I let him rot down there when I could've tried to help.

When Yuffie had finally finished her rant, I couldn't really think of anything to say in my defense. "Uh…Sorry?"

Yuffie groaned in response and walked away. I just stood there, thinking about how I got myself in this mess, how I was going to get myself out of it, how I was going to make it up to Yuffie for dragging her down here, and how on Earth I was going to find Cloud. _Wait. What was that bit about Yuffie?_ I figured the desert heat was getting to me so I just shrugged it off and went to look for Cloud. Of course I couldn't even remember which way Yuffie had gone, so I ended up getting lost in the desert.

That's when I saw the sandworm. I was tired and in no condition to take on a sandworm on my own, but I didn't really have a choice. I went to draw my swords, but my sheathes. I checked for my materia and swore loudly. _I'm going to skin that wench alive!_

I ran as fast as I could, but my fatigue made it impossible to outrun the sandworm. The pain in my shoulder made it even worse.

It was dark. I was alone. I could hear voices in the distance. One sounded like an old man. "…n't worry…right…"

It was difficult to make out anything he said. The next was just as obscure, but somewhat familiar. It was a young man. "…at…d…ill nee…lp…"

I was confused. Who was talking? And what were they saying? The third voice was a little clearer and sounded just a little closer. It was the very familiar voice of a young girl. "..ome on…ake u…ll gi…ack th…teri…r wea…s too…" The darkness lifted and I saw the face of the expert pickpocket who managed to take my materia for a second time.

I looked at her wearily. "I remember…I was going…to do…_something_ to you…can't remember…what though…"

"Lucky me." My eyes drifted shut again and I was lost to sleep once more.

I was standing in a glass tube. In front of me was Professor Hojo. I asked him what it was that he wanted from me, but even though his lips moved, I could not hear his answer. All I could hear was a strange cry from far away. It was unlike anything I had heard before.

I sat up in the bed I was lying in and looked around. There was no one there and the place I was in was so unfamiliar. I got up and walked out of the room. I wandered around a bit and realized I was in some sort of canyon settlement. I saw everyone gathered around a fire below me.

I walked down to meet them, but an old man stopped me. As he asked me if I was feeling alright, I noticed that he was floating. I told him I was fine, but asked what happened. "You'll have to find that out on your own." And then he floated away with one of the most annoying laughs I had ever heard.

When I reached the fire, I noticed that Cloud, Red XIII and Aerith were missing, and that there was someone else there I hadn't remembered seeing before. They looked like a stuffed cat on top of a giant, stuffed moogle. "Who the hell are you?" I asked bluntly.

"I'm Cait Sith. Who are you?"

"I'm…"

"What'cha guys talkin about?" Yuffie poked her head between ours. She looked disappointed when she didn't get an answer. She turned to me and held out my materia and my swords. "Sorry I stole yer stuff…"

"Again," I reminded her as I reclaimed my possessions.

"…again." She looked genuinely sorry about what she did. She was really quiet while Tifa explained what had happened while I was either gone or unconscious. Then we all just sat there waiting for Cloud and the others to come back. Yuffie leaned against me and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said again.

I looked at her. "It's alright. But don't expect me to be so lenient if it happens again." I looked up and saw that Cloud and Aerith were back. I saw Aerith whisper something into Cloud's ear. He glanced over at me at smirked.

Soon it was time to leave the canyon. On our way out, Red XIII, or should I say Nanaki since that's apparently his real name, showed up and told us he was staying with the group. After we left the canyon, we all piled into a buggy Cloud had gotten from the guy who owned the Gold Saucer.

I ended up having to have Nanaki in my lap the whole ride though because there wasn't enough room otherwise. Not only that, but Tifa and Aerith had to share the front passenger seat. I swore that I would never complain about being stuck with just Yuffie again. After some time, the buggy finally stopped. It took about five minutes for everyone in the back seat to pile out, whereas the three in the front were out in a couple of seconds.

We walked into a town that shouldn't have even been there: Nibelheim. While Cloud, Nanaki, and Cait Sith explored the mansion, Tifa, Aerith, and Barret examined the buildings on the right side of the village. That left Yuffie and I to poke around the inn and the shop. The only interesting thing about them were that the people inside claimed not to remember the village burning down.

When we were done looking around, we booked a room so we could all get some rest before we moved on. We went up to the room and sat on a couple of the beds. "There are only three beds and eight of us," Yuffie pointed out.

"We'll just have to make do with three," I replied.

"I ain't sleeping with anyone."

"I figure five of us will sleep on the floor. Nanaki probably would anyway."

"I don't wanna sleep on the floor either."

"Well, we're the ones who booked the rooms; I say we get first call on where we sleep. And if we're already asleep when everyone else gets here, then they won't really be able to make us move."

We both lay down. After a while, Yuffie looked over at me. "So this town burnt down a few years ago?"

"Supposedly. Then again it didn't seem as though Cloud's recollection was entirely complete. Who knows? He might be wrong about the town burning, too."

"Or maybe Shinra rebuilt the town to cover up whatever happened here."

"Possible. They could've easily bought the silence of the townsfolk."

We lay there several minutes in silence. "You know, I just realized. I never caught your name."

I was about to answer when I felt myself slip into a much needed sleep.


	9. Cloud hates me, doesn't he?

Cloud and the others were unamused at Yuffie's and my attempt to claim two of the three beds for ourselves, especially now that we had a new addition to the group: Vincent Valentine.

If I had met Vincent Valentine under any other circumstances, I would have been very unnerved. However, considering everything else that had happened since I met Cloud, meeting a 57-year-old former Turk whose body was perpetually 27 seemed as normal as meeting anyone else, even if the man had been sleeping in a coffin for the last 30 years or so.

As punishment for our ploy, Yuffie and I were forced to share a bed for the night. Neither of us were too happy about it, but there really wasn't much we could do. It was seven against two, not exactly even odds. We spent the night facing away from each other with our backs touching. It wasn't a very large bed.

The next morning, I woke up ludicrously early, considering how poorly I had slept. But when I looked over my shoulder, I saw that Yuffie had already left, as had everyone else. Thankfully, I found Yuffie waiting for me outside the inn. She explained that everyone else had gone ahead over the mountain and that the two of us, along with Vincent, would have to catch up with them.

After realizing that my watch had been broken, I looked up and saw Vincent sitting on the edge of a well. He was so still, it was no wonder I didn't notice him at first. He jumped down and the three of us were on our way. I felt a little awkward walking with Yuffie. Of course, being such a great ninja, she could tell every time I glanced over at her. At one point while we were near the mountain's peak, she stopped in her tracks and looked over at me. "Alright, why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Sorry," I answered, looking away. "I didn't mean to. It's just…"

I could tell she didn't like me trailing off like that. "Just what? Come on! Just What?"

I didn't want to say too much in front of Vincent, even though I'm sure he would know what I'm talking about anyway. He didn't sleep at all last night. I couldn't help but smirk a little as the words left my mouth. "Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

It was true. The night we spent in Nibelheim, I could hear her mumbling something about not wanting to be a bay leaf. Of course that wasn't really why I was glancing over at her, but I couldn't tell her the real reason because I didn't know myself. I doubt Yuffie believed that was why I was looking at her, but she didn't ask any more questions. She just started walking again and, looking over her shoulder with a smirk, said, "So do you." I continued walking, trying to remember what I dreamt about the night before.

After getting over Mt. Nibel, we headed for a town that appeared to have a large rocket looming over it. When we reached the town, we saw none other than Rufus Shinra speaking to some guy with short, blonde hair and dog tags. We hid and heard the blonde man shout something about an airship and Rufus taking the sky away from him. I spotted Cloud in a nearby doorway and managed to catch his eye. I signaled that maybe we could take out Rufus but he shook his head.

Not long after that, a small, pink aircraft flew from behind the house Cloud was in, and guess who was flying it. I watched as the blonde man grabbed hold and flew off with Cloud. And I also saw how they were shot down. The three of us in hiding just looked at each other in disbelief until I got a phone call from Cloud. Apparently, they had landed in the water and could use the pink plane as a boat to help find the Temple of the Ancients.

First however, it seemed that they were going to check out a town on an island to the west. When I relayed this information to Vincent and Yuffie, Yuffie got excited and took the phone away from me. She told Cloud that she knew that area really well, that it was really tough, and that he would need her help. He agreed and told us to meet him at a nearby beach.

When we got to the beach, however, it seemed that Cloud had a surprise in store, he sent the blonde man, whose name turned out to be Cid, Nanaki, and Tifa to go with Vincent while Yuffie and I accompanied him to the town. On the way to the island, I asked him why I was going with him. "I need Yuffie's help here," he replied, "and the two of you have always worked well together."

On our way to the town, we were approached by a couple MPs. It sounded as though we weren't the ones they were after, but we were still worth a fight. For some reason, Yuffie didn't fight. Instead she ran on ahead, leaving Cloud and I to handle them. Not that they were much of a problem, but it would've been a lot faster if Cloud had used magic. That is, if Cloud had been able to use magic.

Yuffie had stolen all of Cloud's materia. I checked the inside pocket of my coat and found that the round stone I had put there was gone. _Fool me once, shame on you._ I thought to myself, taking off my right shoulder pad, noticing for the first time that my left shoulder pad was missing. _Fool me twice, shame on me._ I opened the hidden compartment located inside the shoulder pad. _Only a fool could think to fool me a third time._ I pulled my materia out of the compartment and replaced the shoulder pad.

"What's it do?" Cloud asked, eyeing the materia.

I turned back at him and smiled, still feeling triumphant over Yuffie's failed attempt at stealing my materia. After a moment, I shrugged. "No idea." A little ways ahead I spotted a large rock and decided that it would make for good target practice. I focused the energy from the materia into my right hand. A green aura formed around both. I then aimed at the rock and released the energy.

A large ball of green light flew from my hand and exploded in a blinding flash of light, completely obliterating the rock and everything around it. I stared at the crater that I had just created. "Are you okay?"

Cloud's question brought me back to my senses. I realized I was sweating and my breathing had become erratic. I sat down and looked at the materia in my left hand. Finally, I looked up at Cloud and said, "I think it would be a good idea not to do that again."

"Maybe you should just stick to your swords."

After I had time to rest, I put the materia into my coat pocket and we headed north after Yuffie. Under other circumstances, I would have thought that the town we arrived at was very nice, but all I could really think about was finding Yuffie. We searched the town thoroughly and eventually found a large house at the top of a hill. Inside, we found a very strange man who, when asked about Yuffie, completely denied her existence in Wutai, the town we were in.

Then he began questioning whether we had anything to do with the Shinra forces hanging around. He told us that if we were in trouble with the Shinra, we would have to leave. Suddenly, Yuffie showed up out of nowhere and called the man a coward. After fighting with the man, who turned out to be her father, she ran off.

Then we had to play cat and mouse with Yuffie until we finally caught her hiding in a large pot. It was tricky, but we managed to corner her. She gave up and said that she would give us back the materia. On the way to her basement, she explained what Wutai used to be like: proud and strong. But after the war, it had become nothing more than a resort town for tourists. "Now look at Wutai…That's why…If I had lots of materia I could…"

Then Cloud cut in, saying he didn't care one bit. All he cared about was getting his materia back. He seemed really cold, but I felt sorry for Yuffie. Her home was nothing but a shadow of its former self. Yuffie told Cloud to pull the lever on the left, indicating two levers on the other end of the room. Cloud thought for a moment, then, deciding he didn't trust Yuffie, he pulled the right lever. That caused a large cage to fall, trapping me and blocking Cloud's exit.

Yuffie ran upstairs, leaving us a cryptic clue as to where we could find the materia. After Cloud released the cage, I walked over and flipped the left one, sending the cage back down. I shook my head and thought, _She's good._ Cloud wasn't amused and sent the cage back up. We searched the town for a while and ended up in a room underneath a large bell, where we saw Corneo and his men with Yuffie and Elena of the Turks as their hostages.

I will say this much for Corneo: the man knows how to escape. Somehow, he managed to get all the way to the large statues carved into the nearby mountain before we caught up to him. Not only that, but by the time we got there, Yuffie and Elena were tied up over top the eyes of one of the statues.

We arrived just in time to witness Corneo deciding that he would spend the night with Yuffie. It was when I heard Corneo call her "saucy" that I snapped. I didn't even bother drawing my swords. He turned just in time to see me put my hands around his throat. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that we were on the side of a mountain.

As the two of us plummeted towards certain doom, Corneo pulled out a small device that looked like a detonator. Moments after he pushed the button, I heard a pair of screams from above. I looked up and saw Elena and Yuffie falling head first. There was no way either on could survive a fall like that. Lucky for Elena, Reno and Rude were each ready with some sort of net-gun.

But while Elena was saved by her fellow Turks, Yuffie was still falling. I knew I wasn't far from the ground myself and I realized that there was absolutely nothing I could do. She looked down and our eyes met. I could see the fear and the tears in hers. That's when it happened. The searing pain in my left shoulder exploded and in the corner of my eye, I could see white feathers.

I didn't think. I didn't have time to think. Inches from the ground, I stopped and started to rise. I flew up into the air and grabbed Yuffie, pulling her into my arms. I rose farther and farther, past where she fell. Eventually, I landed at the peak of the mountain. I looked down at her and saw the terrified look on her face. She looked up at me slowly and hugged me, burying her head into my coat.

After a while, she was steady enough that I could put her down. She looked at me and smiled. "Thanks," she said. Then she looked to my left. I followed her gaze and saw that a large, white wing was protruding from my left shoulder. My world shifted as the pieces of my mind and my past were aligned for the first time in a long while. "What is it?" Yuffie asked, noticing that I was staring off into space.

I looked over at her. She looked concerned. "I remember," I answered.

"Remember what?"

"Everything…"


	10. Yay, Flashback!

I was always…different. When I was a kid, I had this feeling of superiority, not only over the other children, but even some of the adults. I wasn't a bad kid, but I never did have much use for rules. Once I stole an apple from the town's grocer. Half the town was trying to catch me, but I was a fast little devil.

I was strong, too. I remember this one time when the town bully was picking on a little girl from out of town. She couldn't have been more than five years old. I was only seven at the time, and the bully was at least twelve. He was no match for me, of course.

After the bully was unconscious with a black eye and a bloody nose, I turned to the little girl. She ran and hugged me. She was a lot stronger than she looked. I pulled her away and looked at her. She had short hair and tears pouring out of her dark eyes. "Wow," I said to her, "you're almost as strong as I am!"

"Really?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, you just have to be brave. Think you can be brave?"

"Uh-huh!" She gave me a nod and ran off.

I was raised by my mother. I never really knew my father. I think he left right after I was born. My mother was the only one I ever listened to or took orders from. But I was getting bored with our tiny little town. One day, when I was ten, a Turk visited our town.

I had stolen another apple and jumped from the ground straight to my roof. The Turk saw me. As I leaned against my chimney and took a big bite out of the apple, the Turk leapt onto the roof. I looked over at him as he walked towards me.

A month later, I had finished undergoing a series of near-impossible tests of strength, endurance, speed, and prowess both physical and magical. It was like hell, and when it was over, my reward for passing the tests was even more impossible training. Shinra said they were going to turn me into the ultimate weapon, but when the time came for initiation in SOLDIER, I refused.

I told them I would become better than those in SOLDIER without the special treatment they received. A lot of people thought I was crazy, but I must have made an impression with the right people. Before long, I was put through the beginning stages of SOLDIER training. It wasn't easy, but I got through it. My accomplishments earned me respect from pretty much everyone, even some of the top members of SOLDIER.

I even met Sephiroth once. I was fifteen at the time. I watched him take down a huge dragon, and afterward I told him that someday, I would be even stronger than him. He seemed almost insulted at first, but then he realized just who I was. He chuckled a bit and said, "I guess I better watch my back, then."

As my strength grew, so did my reputation at Shinra. Unfortunately, I attracted the attention of an insane scientist named Hojo. He captured me in a giant, glass tube and started conducting experiments on me. He injected me with a modified strain of Sephiroth's DNA. The results were far from pleasant.

I experienced excruciating pain on every inch of my body for weeks on end. I thought I was going to lose my mind. In fact, I think I did. As Hojo performed experiment after experiment on me, the pain in my shoulder grew. One day, while one of his assistants was testing the resiliency of my skeletal structure by attempting to drill through my arm, I finally snapped.

A wing sprouted from my left shoulder, and an incredible power surged through me. I broke free of my prison, took back my then silver katanas, and fought my way out of the Shinra facility. Badly injured, I fell through a large hole in the roof of a church in the slums.

When I came to, I found myself in a bed of mako eyes. Next to me were a pair of emerald katanas and a bright green materia.

A year later, I was hired by a woman with long, brown hair and large man with a gun on his arm to help blow up a mako reactor.


End file.
